For EV fans, the news about the many automakers scaling back their (often ambitious) electrification plans has been exhausting. We’ve seen a fair number adjust their targets for switching to an all-electric portfolio, others plan to throw more hybrids in the mix, while others have canceled or delayed products. We’re still awaiting the Ram 1500 REV, and whatever Buick is going to bring to market. It’s not surprising, then, that a low-volume, high-dollar manufacturer like Aston Martin has pushed back the launch of its first EV.
Lamborghini, however, is bucking the trend. In an interview with Autocar, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said that the brand’s electrification plans remain intact, and its first EV, based on the Lamborghini Lanzador concept, will arrive on time.
Lamborghini Picked The Right Product For Its First EV
Winkelmann says that its first EV is a good fit for the brand’s plans, as it will be a new model rather than a replacement of an old one. The Lanzador concept doesn’t neatly fit into a strict template for any current segment. Lamborghini calls it a “Gran Turismo 2+2.” It’s a little bigger than most Lamborghinis we’re used to, with a taller stance that isn’t quite as SUV-ish as the Urus. Still, it looks less rugged and off-road-ready than the Huracán Sterrato, though that could conceivably be remedied by a revision of the suspension and tires. The fact that it’s a new model altogether is enough “to attract new customers to Lamborghini,” Winkelmann said.
And Lamborghini picked the right products to predate it. “When we decided to do the first step of our strategy, to have all the line-up new and hybridized, this was a big effort for the company,” Winkelmann said. “For the last four years, we have worked very hard on this, and now we see that this was — you never know, but — the right decision.” It’s a strategy other automakers are realizing now, and not just mainstream automakers like GM and Stellantis, but high-end brands Like Bentley, Lotus, and Porsche.
Lamborghini Didn’t Overpromise On EVs
It helps that Lamborghini wasn’t too aggressive with its EV plans to begin with. The Lanzador isn’t scheduled for production until 2030 — the date by which some other automakers had planned to go all-electric or close to it. “It’s not about innovation,” he told Autocar, “it’s about coming at the right time.” He acknowledged that demand for EVs is softer than expected, and picking 2030 allows Lamborghini some grace.
Lamborghini hasn’t said it will ever go all-electric, though it has said it will sell only electrified vehicles. As such, it intends to keep its hybrids, like the new Huracán-replacing Temerario, around as long as it can, even if e-fuels catch on. “I don’t think that battery technology is going to step out of our cars, because at the end of the day, it is something which helps the performance, not inhibits performance,” he said. “And battery technology will evolve, and if we stay hybrid, this is going to help the performance of the cars even more.”
Not only that, but it helps prevent making promises about EVs it can’t keep.
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